Programme overview

Since launching in 1964, our management degree has been a market leader and many of its graduates now hold very senior positions in industry, commerce and other professions, as well as in the public sector. In partnership with the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), this prestigious programme is available to study part-time for students based in Singapore.

The programme combines relevance to the world of work with high academic standards supported by extensive reference to the research undertaken at the University. Reflecting the academic rigour of the programme, all lectures are delivered in person by Alliance Manchester Business School academic staff, who are based in the UK. Similarly, your academic performance, including exams and coursework, will be assessed by Alliance Manchester Business School academic staff. The programme also offers students in Singapore the opportunity to study their final year in Manchester.

This is an intensive degree programme which will stretch and grow your abilities, and prepare you for the professional challenges which lie ahead.

Who should apply?

The programme in Singapore is intended primarily for students who have completed a business-related Diploma and wish to upgrade their qualifications to honours degree level. It enables such graduates to enhance significantly their management knowledge and, by doing so, they would be in a position to improve their own careers in Singapore. For detailed entry requirements visit the SIM website.

Diploma holders from non-business streams who aspire to management positions would also find the programme relevant. The knowledge they gain will make them more versatile and improve their career prospects. These students will undergo a preparatory course before joining the programme.

Key features

Direct entry to Year 2

Taught by internationally acclaimed teaching staff

Open and participative learning environment

Units are delivered one at a time, over a period of six weeks

Option to study in Manchester for your final year

Programme structure

This programme is based on The University of Manchester full-time BSc (Hons) Management degree.

Students who have completed the relevant Polytechnic Diploma (or equivalent) will be admitted into the second year of a three-year degree programme. As a result, only the course units from the second and final years of the degree programme are conducted in Singapore.

Students will study a total of 12 course units; 6 course units in the second year and the remaining 6 in the final year. Each unit constitutes 20 credits. These units are essentially the same as those offered in Manchester. The difference is that the emphasis and examples used are more relevant to the Asian economy and therefore less Eurocentric. Each course unit involves 25 hours of intensive lectures delivered by our staff and supplemented by a further 25 hours of tutorials with local tutors. The normal duration of this part-time programme is 2 years and students are required to complete the programme over a maximum of 4 years.

Singapore Institute of Management manage admissions to the programme according to a set of criteria laid down by the University. You can complete the whole of your degree in Singapore. However, once you complete all six Level 2 course units, you will have the option to move your final year of study to Manchester. You would then have access to a wider range of course units for your final year. This is especially useful to those who would like to study courses that are not currently available in Singapore. Moreover, you will have the opportunity to experience full-time student life at Manchester.

Course units

Second year units

Globalisation and Employment

Globalisation and Employment aims to introduce second year students to key issues for employment policy and practice arising from the internationalisation of economy, society and labour markets. It provides foundational knowledge (theoretical and empirical) for the year 3 course International HRM.

Quantitative Methods for Management

This unit aims to provide students with a working background in probability theory, descriptive analysis and statistical inference. It will also help to develop skills in the use of mainstream statistical software. Students will be able to identify and manipulate probability distributions for use in relevant management situations. It will enable students to perform effective descriptive statistical analysis as well as statistical inference for a variety of mainstream applications, and to obtain a proficiency in the use of popular statistical packages.

International Business: the Global Environment

This unit contributes to the understanding of all kinds of transactions that take place across national borders. Cross- border transactions are distinctive because of differences in resource endowments, culture, language, currencies, laws, market regulations and infrastructure, which have given rise to the interdisciplinary study of international business. The main objective of this first of two International Business units is to explain how and why countries differ. This unit offers a thorough review of the economics and politics of international trade and investment and takes an evolutionary perspective, which is a relatively recent conceptual framework. The analysis and discussions are mainly based on the experience of the last four decades and encourage students to investigate, analyse and synthesise data and specific constructs in the context of the international economy.

People, Management & Change

This unit takes as its focus the involvement of people in the process of management and change. By exploring the human dimension of the organisation of work it aims to familiarise students with theories of organisation and change that are of relevance for understanding, analysing and implementing change; situate change processes in their historical and cultural contexts by introducing comparative studies of the management of change; and encourage a critical appreciation of the role of management in organisations.

Business Finance/Financial Markets & Institutions

The unit begins with an introduction to the role and structure of financial institutions. This is put in perspective with recent market developments and innovations. It is intended that students should have a comprehensive understanding of the financial system by the end of the unit. The second part introduces two major financial decisions: investment and financing decisions. Strong emphasis is placed on the understanding of the main financial instruments and the valuation of different financial assets by investors. This is again put in perspective with recent market developments and innovations.

Managerial Economics

The objective of the unit is to provide a rigorous treatment of those aspects of economic theory and practice which help to explain and/or solve certain business problems. The unit concentrates on a set of microeconomic topics that are particularly relevant to strategic decision-making including the objectives and decision making procedures of firms; market and demand analysis; supply factors in the operations of the firm; pricing strategies; corporate growth and development.

Applied Marketing

The unit provides the opportunity to acquire an understanding of marketing planning and strategy and to investigate the application of the principles and practice of marketing in a rapidly developing environment. Attention is focused on a number of marketing issues and sectors of the economy, including: marketing planning and strategy; a broadened concept of marketing to include marketing ethics; services marketing and retailing.

Final year units

Behavioural Strategy

The course aims to provide an appreciation of the major behavioural (i.e. cognitive, emotional, social, cultural, political) challenges associated with the strategic management process; to analyse the behavioural microfoundations of organizational strategic adaptability, from opportunity recognition to effective strategic decision making and managing strategic change and to introduce students to a range of concepts, tools, techniques and processes designed to understand and enhance strategic thinking and behaviour, with a view to improving the strategic flexibility of organizations.

Leadership and Success at Work

The overall aim of the course unit is to enable students to acquire up-to-date advanced knowledge of psychology issues pertinent to success in leadership in the modern workplace. There are scores, if not hundreds, of theories about what makes good leadership. Most of these theories tell us what to do, but not how to do this. The specific aim of this course unit is to teach students the psychological skills necessary for success in leadership, in particular, relating to: (i) the ability to influence self and others; (ii) the ability to act ethically; (iii) the ability to develop personally; and (iv) the ability to develop the success of others.

Services Marketing

The course aims to provide students with an understanding and knowledge of marketing strategy and management in the services sector. During the course, students will be expected to develop a critical understanding of the issues under discussion. The major issues in the marketing of services and how this differs from the marketing of goods will provide a key focus for the course. A range of service industries will be discussed during the course and students will be expected to develop marketing skills practically by analyzing real life issues. Specifically, the course unit aims to provide students with an understanding and knowledge of marketing strategy and management in the services sector, to include service quality and internationalization issues.

International Competitiveness & Innovation

Innovation plays a vital role in the competitiveness of firms and national economies. This unit presents a wide range of material on this theme, which includes: how firms manage their innovations for competitive advantage; how innovation contributes to economic growth of nations; intellectual property rights; the globalisation of the innovation process in international firms; government policies for the promotion and regulation of innovations.

Global Management, People & the Digital Divide

The aim of this unit is to examine the business Implications of the growth of access to computers and the Internet, along with the political, social and ethical issues. The unit will examine theoretical foundations, transition and governance issues, diversity and access issues, and contemporary cases on this topic. Political and social issues include the ethics and societal ramifications. Students will be able to understand the problems associated with the digital divide, describe the economics and identify risks of the digital divide, evaluate appropriate governance models, critically evaluate the implications of the digital divide on individuals, countries and society. As well as have familiarity with the techniques and tools that have been developed to address this phenomenon and the specificity and complexity of technological inequality.

International Human Resource Management

The unit provides an analytical framework for the study of human resource management theories, policies and applications on an international scale. At the end of the unit, students should understand the role of employment in the organisation to develop comparative advantage within a global economy. The focus will be on the spread of HRM practice related to societal, historical and cultural factors; the implications of different HRM practices for competitiveness; the impact of globalisation; the complications of the development of multinationals for human resource management; and the problems of managing in a cross-cultural environment.

International Business: Strategy, Structure & Business Functions

The final year International Business starts with an introduction of the role and functions of the foreign exchange market and the global monetary system. It moves on to examine the various strategies and structures adopted by international businesses today. Other specific topics will include modes of foreign market entry, export/import transactions and countertrade. In addition, the unit focuses a great deal on the empirical aspects of international business, as it offers a large number of case studies and updated examples in order to illustrate how international managers operate.

The unit examines investment decisions, risk, return and diversification, asset pricing models, anomalies of market efficiency, capital structure and cost capital, dividend policy and takeovers. This unit also covers the fundamentals of investment analysis and strategies, and introduces the recent developments in theory and practice in financial market place. This part covers securities analysis; management and strategies of fixed income securities and portfolio performance evaluation.

International Marketing

The unit will provide an informed appreciation of international marketing management as an academic subject and as a management practice in the contemporary world. Students will gain insights into the developments of the international marketing environment with reference to: the ways in that international marketing differs from 'domestic' marketing; the relevance of networking and relationship management and the topic of market entry and development.

Facilities

Facilities at Singapore Institute of Management

Study at a world-class facility in the heart of one of the world’s most vibrant cities.

Completed in 2014, the S$300 million SIM HQ campus houses more and better-equipped teaching and learning facilities, an iconic sports and recreation complex with a performing arts theatre, a financial training centre, an extended library, a student hub and wellness centre.

There are more than 150 lecture theatres, tutorial and seminar rooms, and 29 computer laboratories spread across the SIM campuses which can accommodate a capacity of up to 16,000 students.

All lecture theatres are equipped with white-boards, flipcharts, overhead projectors and presentation facilities. The institute has continually made improvements to its students' learning environment and continues to meet their needs by making essential investments in facilities and technology. It will continue to do so and also be aware of external demand for new programmes to keep pace with industry requirements and changes in the coming years.